Children of Izanami: Confirmation
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter ?? "Ok, run this by me again?" Ahatake said. His wife had just finished explaining the video she saw at the library to Ahatake, Miharu, and Daiyaku. None of them could get over it. "I had the same reaction....." Megami wearily sat in one of the chairs, arms resting on her thighs. "I just cannot get over the glaring errors that were there. Even Aoi couldn't explain what happened, and...." She raised a hand to her face, lowering her head slightly and letting out a sigh. "....it's just so unnerving." "Just when you think things can't get any weirder, they do." Ahatake sighed. Wounds before being shot to death, blood moving on it's own. Only person he knew who controlled blood was his sister, but he had no idea where she was. "Shouldn't we tell Rukia about this?" Miharu asked. "I'll make it a priority straight away...." Megami said in a glib manner, dropping her head against the armrest and leaning her head back. "Aoi handed me a copy of the video later on, so I can also hand this over to the police." She closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. "Good Lord, I am not going to get over this for a long time...." "I've honestly seen worse." Ahatake said, waving his hand as if shooing away an annoying fly. "It's the moving blood that disturbs me more than anything. Someone who can control blood is not something you want as your enemy, I guarantee." Daiyaku and Miharu, who had witnessed Megami's own blood manipulation firsthand, nodded in agreement. "The most notable thing is that in the video, the gunfire should have been able to wake up the ensuing neighbors...." Megami commented. "But I have yet to hear from anyone about the fact that there was a massacre, nor have we heard anything about the bodies." "There are plenty of barriers to block out sound." Ahatake pointed out. "Aoi can cast them, Miharu can probably create some-" The girl nodded to confirm her father's statement. What couldn't she do? "-so these people could probably possess powers like that. I'm merely guessing however." "And what about the gunshot's delay?" "That..." Ahatake thought for a moment and then let out a long, drawn out sigh. "Your guess is as good as mine." He had no guess. "It is odd..." Daiyaku murmured. "Perhaps the footage was tampered with, if they had advanced knowledge of the camera?" "The only one who had access to the videos would be Aoi herself." Megami said dismissively, raising her head back up. "No one else can get a hold of them." "In that case, I've got nothing." Daiyaku said, shrugging. Ahatake sighed. "I'm getting a headache from the thinking, and it's not even 9:00 yet." Megami shifted one leg over the other idly. "In any other case, this is definitely something above the norm. Aoi's trying to figure out the graffiti's origins and constancy." She explained. "In the meantime, I also plan on getting the tape copy over to law enforcement." "Makes sense." Ahatake said. He frowned for a moment. These opponents definitely seemed powerful. And he needed to adjust to his new powers. He knew two people who could help him with that. Seemed like he had work to do later. "Anything I can help with?" Miharu asked, looking at her mother. "Honestly, at this point in time, there's not much to do." Megami answered, giving somewhat of a helpless shrug of her shoulders. "All our bases are covered as of yet, so there's no problems to take care of at this moment." "In that case, I'm going outside." She said, stretching. Ahatake grabbed her shoulder. "Miharu, I actually do need your help." He said. "Could you conjure something up that would lead me to Seireitou?" Miharu looked surprised. "Yeah, I can. Why?" "I'm about to go have a talk with him." Ahatake said simply. "I want to see if he'd consider training me." "Back to Seireitou again....?" Megami said uncertainly, shifting her head towards the man in what seemed like confusion. "Is that really necessary....?" "I haven't truly readjusted to my Shinigami powers Megami." Ahatake said, frowning. "Solo training doesn't seem to be working. It's probably due to the fact that this Zanpakutō wasn't originally mine." He looked at the blade he had slung at his waist. "Seireitou can probably help me there, as well as teach me some other things that could help." Megami let out a light sigh, closing her eyes and shaking her head from side to side. This, in turn, caused her long hair to billow a little. "Well, if you insist..." She said softly. "Whatever helps is something greatly needed." Ahatake grinned. "Thanks Megami." Miharu drew her sword. "Lead me to Seireitou Kyūmu." She swung it, creating a portal. "If you enter through this portal, it should lead you to Seireitou. Not as efficient as the method I used, but you take what you can get, right?" "Yeah, sure." Ahatake said, frowning. He gets the inefficient method? He sighed as he stepped into the portal. "I'll see you all later then." He said, stepping into it fully and it shut closed on him. "In the meantime...." Megami pushed herself off of the seat, brushing herself off. "I'll go search for Rukia, see if she's lurking around and tell her what we've found out." She walked over towards the coat racket, slipping on a light jacket. "Maybe I can tell Onee-san." Miharu said, making Daiyaku get up. "She might be able to help us out." A small smile came across Megami's face. "Yeah, maybe, if she's not too busy with Kibō." She walked towards the door, pushing it open and stepping it out. "Good luck!" She called over her shoulder with a mirthful tone before she shut the door behind her. Peaceful Onee-san Knock knock! At the Injiki residence, two sharp raps on the door attracted the attention of the residents inside. It hadn't taken Miharu and Daisuke long to get down there (Daisuke ran while carrying Miharu). The door opened immediately, and there stood Kyashi, a hand on her hip and her other hand against the doorway. "Oh, hey!" She greeted with a smile, giving a nod. She stepped side. "You're here for Midoriko, right?" Daiyaku and Miharu entered, Daiyaku putting Miharu down. Why he was still carrying her when they had reached the door, no one knew."Good morning Kyashi." Miharu said, smiling. "And yeah, we're here to see her." Kyashi made a motioning gesture towards the stairwell. "She's just right upstairs...." "Thanks." Miharu said as they dashed upstairs. "Tell Ryūka "hi" from me!" They got to the hall, and went to the room with the open door. Sure enough, Kibō and Midoriko were in the room. Lucky for Miharu and Daiyaku, they hadn't walked in on anything major. "Hm....?" On the bed, Kibō's head was resting on Midoriko's leg as she sat (and he lay) on the bed, arms folded across his chest. One eye was closed, but the other was looking directly at the two. "Oh.... it's just you two...." He muttered, raising one hand up from his chest to give a lazy wave. "What's up?" "Just you two?" Miharu repeated, visibly annoyed. "That's no way to greet family Kibō." Daiyaku chuckled. Seems the girl was annoyed. Midoriko looked over at them. "Mornin' sis." She said, smiling. "What brings you over?" Her sister's words dropped her annoyance with her brother-in-law. "We have some news, since we figure you can be of help to us." Kibō said nothing in particular, raising up a hand and clenching the fingers to idly study his own nails for a moment. "How familiar are you two with Road 701?" Daiyaku asked. "We've crossed through a few times." Midoriko replied, looking puzzled. "Why?" "Well..." Miharu launched into an explanation about the "painting" found on one of the buildings, as well as giving the additional details about the video her mother saw, and where Ahatake went. This drew Kibō's attention right away. Abruptly, he sat up and stared at the two with slightly widened eyes. "....you know what that sounds like....?" He commented, slghtly cocking an eyebrow and lifting a finger to point at the two. "I think that's something straight off from some fucked up horror movie. Blood that moves on its own, a clip twisted to an extreme degree? Wouldn't be surprised if there was an deranged long-haired little girl in the mix." Everyone looked at Midoriko briefly, then back at Kibō before responding. "Well, you have a point there." Daiyaku agreed. "But it's all the fact we have, so you'll just have to deal with it." Miharu frowned. "I just wish we could make heads or tails of this." "You mean you don't know?" Kibō had a disbelieving look on his face, and he pushed himself off of the bed and looked over the three with a mixture of surprise and disappointment. "Gimme a break! The glaring signs are right there in our faces! Tell us again - what did the graffiti on the building look like?" "Well, from what I remember from the description, there were "eyeball" like markings amidst other markings that seem to have no meaning." Miharu was drawing on what she could remember. "Why?" "Because that...." Kibō pointed at Miharu. "Is the marking of Red Sun! Exactly like what you just said!" "Red Sun?" Miharu looked very confused. Daiyaku blinked twice. "Red...Sun..." He murmured. "That sounds slightly familiar. Like I've heard it somewhere." "What is it?" Miharu asked insistently. Midoriko was silent. She hadn't the slightest clue what Kibō was talking about, so she didn't feel the need to speak up. "You really don't know? Shit, you guys must've been spending your life under''ground'' or something......" Kibō lowered his finger, using hand gestures in order to emphasize his words. "Red Sun is this secret, shady cultist organization that's been around for quite some time. It's massive, and its influence takes up the majority of the dimensions. Their charisma's so strong, there are thousands of cult groups in existence that are devoted to worshiping their cause. It is said that the first markings of the Red Sun are a warning that Paradise is coming." "Oh boy..." Miharu sighed. "So, it's a malicious group devoted to making promises they can't keep?" "Oh, no...." Kibō said, his voice taking on a slightly darker tone. "This is the real deal, something that has been prophesied for years. Red Sun is headed off by these beings known as the demi-gods, entities that are condemned to humanoid bodies in order to keep watch over the world. These same beings, when the time is right, will begin setting the stage in order for the destruction and recreation of both the realm of the living and the afterlife. It's something that's, while scary to think about, is true." "You're not serious." Miharu said, backing up slightly. "We're up against demi-gods now?" Daiyaku frowned. "This isn't going to be easy at all then. Demi-gods that are meant to end the world? If we go up against them, we could be defying the natural order. We'll wind up just like the other Ahatake." "No shit...." Kibō muttered, folding his arms across his chest and shaking his head in disapproval. "But then again, we're out of options here unless we want to risk our own lives waiting for this prophecy to happen." "Then we have some deities to defy." Miharu said, grinning. Midoriko chuckled. "Sometimes, you really can be like Tō-san." She said. "Not that it's a bad thing though." "Kibō, we're gonna need you to tell Megami this you know." Daiyaku said. "Do I really need to?" Kibō asked, walking over casually and sitting back down onto the bed. "Most likely, she's figured out what's happened already thanks to police investigation and what-not. No need for me to waste my breath." "What do you see in him?" Daiyaku asked Midoriko. "He grows on you." Midoriko replied simply, ruffling Kibō's hair. "We'll tell her ourselves if you're that lazy." Miharu snapped. "If push comes to shove, we do expect you to help out with any fighting that is necessary." "I'll be there." Midoriko said. "And I'll drag Kibō along whether he wants to show or not." "Hey, moron--" WHUMPF! It happened in a matter of seconds. The moment the word "moron" had exited Kibō's mouth, Miharu's fist came hurtling into his face, sending him flying into his own bedroom wall. A vein was throbbing in her head. "You are quite possibly the rudest boy I've met in my life." She hissed before walking angrily from the room. Daiyaku watched her walk out, wide-eyed. "I've never seen that before." Midoriko chuckled, before turning to Kibō. "You in one piece?" "Neh-neh-neh-neh, neh-neh-neh...." Kibō slowly brought himself up to a sitting position, allowing a good view of the purple fist mark Miharu had rewarded him with. The he was humming in had the same harmony as the beginning of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. "Neh-neh-neh-neh, I'm a dick...." He finished, punctuating with a groan as he turned his head to the side and spit. A few teeth scattered across the floor, and a trickle of blood decorated the corner of his mouth. He raised a fist to wipe it off. "This is what I get for trying to be a nice guy to a temperamental sister-in-law." "You called her a moron Kibō." Daiyaku pointed out. "You've also been rather rude since we got here. I don't think that qualifies as "nice guy" to her at all. I've never seen her act like that actually." "I did once." Midoriko said. "She was a toddler, and I was dying her hair purple...it didn't end well." She shuddered. "Well, I'm sorry if she takes words to heart...." Kibō frowned disdainfully, folding his arms across his chest. One of his arms resting against the bedpost in an idle position. "And she was being a bit of a moron, too. After all, I was trying to explain something to her and she just interrupts me by punching me in the face!" Daiyaku sighed. "Well, either way, if Megami doesn't know by the time she gets back to the house, we'll tell her. If she does know, it just saves us time." "Finally, someone with some sense...." Kibō muttered, flopping down on the bed and folding his hands behind his head. "Alright, in that case, I suppose we'll take our leave now." Daiyaku said. "Miharu's probably downstairs fuming right now, and that's got to be an inconvenience for your mother." "I'll get over it...." "Sure." He said, walking out of the room. Midoriko placed her hand on Kibō's face. "We need to get you replacement teeth." A frown came over Kibō's face. "Replacement? C'mon, Midō, I'm fine...." However, he didn't allow himself to push her hand away. The touch was quite....comfortable, almost as if it had the potential to get rid of the purple bruise on his face. ---- Downstairs, Miharu was sitting on the living room sofa with a rather angry look on her face. She almost appeared to be pouting, with her face slightly red and her cheeks puffed out. Daiyaku sighed, but then chuckled as he saw Kyashi looking at Miharu was an obviously confused looked. "In case you're wondering, Miharu and Kibō had a disagreement." He said, choosing the word that seemed the least likely to anger the woman. "She'll get over it in about an hour." "I managed to hear the smack all the way down here." Kyashi said bluntly, cocking an eyebrow and frowning lopsidedly at the boy. "You can't tell me that was a disagreement going on." "He'll be fine." Daiyaku insisted nervously. "Consider it a free wisdom tooth removal." Miharu piped up. Daiyaku slapped his hand to his face. "Kyashi, I apologize in Miharu's stead. In the meantime, we have problems to deal with that I'm sure Kibō and Midoriko can explain in full detail if you aren't already aware." "Oh, don't worry...." Kyashi said dryly, folding her arms across her chest. "I'm fully aware of what's going on. After all, me and Ryūka have that kind of experience during our Shinigami days." "Interesting life you must have had." Daiyaku said, a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice. "C'mon Miharu, let's go." "No." Miharu said, her face still red. "I don't feel like moving." Daiyaku let out on a long drawn out sigh. "Never in the history of your appearances have you been this childish." He easily scooped her up off the couch, carrying her bridal style. "I apologize again for the trouble." He said, easing the door open with his foot before taking off. As she watched them run off, Kyashi let out a sigh and lowered her head, shaking in a sage manner. "Trouble....?" She muttered. "Trouble just has to follow us wherever we go...." With that, she flopped down and lay back on the couch. She really had nothing to do for the time being as she waited for her husband to get back home. In the meantime, the most she could allow herself to do is think about what was going to happen. That....or get some Z's. Shine of the Red Sun 9:30 AM. Rukia Kuchiki was standing in front of the police station. She had no immediate business there, she was merely off from work and was taking a break. She was wondering, however, if Megami had found anything from "her own sources". A few ways off behind her, Kenta was leaning against the wall of the police station, spinning his revolver around on his finger in a display of boredom. His other arm was folded across his chest. For the moment they had been waiting, he had been silent the whole time, not saying a word to her and keeping himself concentrated on spinning his pistol. It was a bit strange for him - usually, he would spark up some sort of comment that led to a moderate conversation between the two. However, no such thing had happened. Concerning the situation, it added somewhat of a tense effect. Rukia was equally silent, her thoughts seemed to be brooding. She frowned. She supposed, since she hadn't been able to gather any leads on her own, going to Ahatake and Megami's was the nest best step. "I think we should drop by the Kurosaki's." She said, speaking for the first time in twenty minutes. "Megami may have some information now, since she mentioned her "own sources" last I visited." A small smile came across Kenta's face, and he stopped his revolver by the hilt, fingers positioned as if he were about to shoot. The barrel was pointing downwards at the ground. "May or may not is the question...." He commented lightly. "Well, we haven't gotten any actual leads." Rukia pointed out. "She may know something by now. Trouble seems to actively seek out that family." Kenta shifted the revolver's barrel to point up at the sky, the sun beaming down on it. One would recognize it as a Colt Python, and his own had a barrel of 8 inches and a royal blue finish. "Are you sure it's not because you purposely decided to ignore Avaron's "minimal procedure" order"....?" He asked in a somewhat sly manner, cocking an eyebrow. The smile didn't leave his face. "You know my reasons for disobeying that order." Rukia replied. "It's going to help us in the long run, so that's what matters." She did wonder however, what exactly was the punishment here for disobeying an order? She wasn't an officer, she's the Representative of the Seireitei, meaning she was still technically part of the Seireitei, not the Yūrei Ōkoku. She'd probably find out eventually. "I know, I know....." Kenta closed his eyes, spinning the revolver around on his finger for a final time before securing it within its holster. Pushing his back off of the wall, he walked steadily over to the female's side with his hands in his pockets. "I have my qualms about the whole thing.... but I trust you know what you're doing." Turning his gaze over towards her and looking over her hood, he could see the figure of Megami approaching them. "And there's your scout now...." "Rukia! Kenta!" Megami greeted earnestly, stopping in front of them once she was close enough. "Just the people I've been needin' to talk to!" Rukia turned at the sound of Megami's voice. "Oh, Megami. Nice to see you down here." Definitely saved them a trip halfway across town for starters. "Am I to assume you have some information?" Megami held up what she was holding. It was the disc Aoi had given over as the copy of the video. "Not just information. I've got a little visual aid of my own to show you! Though, we'll probably have to head back to the library so that we can actually watch it--" "No need." Kenta said immediately, making a gesture towards the building behind them. "I can just take you to the terminal room within the police station." His suggestion made Megami perk up her ears and look hesitantly at the building. "Not to worry, it's not like the station's off limit to civilians or anything. You'll be allowed in." That made Megami breathe a sigh of relief, giving the man a grateful. "Thanks, Kenta." "A visual aid?" As they entered the police station, Rukia couldn't help but wonder exactly who Megami had spoken with to procure that. "Mhm!" Megami nodded readily. "And who exactly would have such things on hand other than the law enforcement....?" Kenta asked, somewhat wary as he looked at her questioningly. The tone he took on made Megami turn her gaze towards him in a hesitant manner before she looked back down at the ground, clearly unsure of what to say next. "Well.... I'm not really sure if I should be saying this, but her name's Aoi Taijiri, and she owns an inherited surveillance system courtesy of her mother that passed away." Guilt flashed through her eyes as she spoke the words, and Kenta managed to catch it. But he didn't respond to it, keeping his usually calm facade. Well that was certainly surprising news. A librarian with surveillance material. "So the girl was the "source" you mentioned earlier?" Rukia asked. "Yeah...." Thankfully, Rukia had not seemed to notice the flash of guilt that had crossed Megami's eyes, and they made it to their destination without consequence. The room had several table desks lined up against the wall, three rows lined up at the center. Each of them had a computer right beside one another, in the style of a computer lab. It was empty, leaving the three of them to stand alone to their own devices. Kenta moved to the nearest computer and took a seat, shoving the mouse to turn off standby mode. He extended his hand towards Megami, and the woman gave him the disc. In turn, he slid the disc within the cartridge and began typing rapidly. Megami couldn't help but eye his fingers as they typed, eyes widening slightly as she saw them move at an accelerated pace. "Wow. You're really something when it comes to operating computers, eh?" She complimented, smiling a little as she stood beside him. "I'm a bit of a computer whiz when it comes to stuff like this." Kenta explained, not bothering to take his eyes off the screen. His tone was light and casual. "A few years back, my subordinates dared me to hack the mainframe in order to place this shock pretend virus on terminals throughout the station, just for a joke. But I underestimated the system's complex nature, and I got caught." "And what happened after you got caught?" Rukia asked, deciding to at least have him finish his little "story". "I got booted off the force for a full year, a demotion, and an earful from the Captain." Kenta answered, earning a slight gasp from Megami. "But at least I learned my lesson not to hack into government-based systems and infuriate my superiors, let alone simultaneously." "Wouldn't that be something someone should know from the beginning?" Rukia questioned. "What?" Kenta stopped for a moment, turning his head towards Rukia quizzically. "Wouldn't someone have known not to hack into government-based systems in the first place?" She repeated. "Doing something like that was bound to get you caught in the first place." This time, Kenta shrugged, chuckling a little. "What can I say? I was a bit hot-blooded, I'm a hell of a good slicer, and I was presented with a challenge." He shifted his attention back towards the screen, seeing the little window pop up and the video beginning to buffer. Moving the mouse, he clicked it to full screen and leaned back against his chair. "Might as well get a chair, it's starting....." Rukia did as he suggested, taking one of the chairs that was against the wall and setting it in front of the screen. What would she see? The footage replayed itself. It started from the start of the fire-squad scene. The civilians were huddled against the building, some holding each other, some looking at their off-screen soon-to-be killers pleadingly. Some just lay on the ground, waiting for their lives to end. All of them would face the same fate as the guns cocked, the barrels were aimed, and the shots were fired. The bullets tore into their bodies, and they collapsed lifelessly to the ground. This time, Megami had to turn away, not wanting to watch. Rukia kept her eyes glued to the screen. This...the only way to describe this scene was madness. This was how it had happened then? How the people were killed to have their blood used for the "painting", a mass slaughter? The scene then switched. In the next scene, only the blood remained to stain the building, the corpses gone, and the bullet holes that were supposed to be on the walls nonexistent. The blood, after a moment's waiting, slowly shifted into the artistic swirls and portrait designs on its own accord. In seconds, it had became the work of art that had been seen in the recent days. After which, the clip ended, and the window was switched back to normal mode. "Mass murder..." Rukia murmured. "And then blood control?" The second part was more of a question, as if waiting for someone to confirm it. "Couldn't be." Kenta immediately shook his head. Despite everything, despite the fact that he hadn't seen the video before, it was as if he had been watching nothing at all. His expression hadn't changed, and his tone hadn't wavered. "We have sensors covering every inch of Yūrei. The erection of a barrier, an ability being used.... we would've picked it up right away." "What if they were able to get past the sensors?" Rukia suggested. "Is that possible? "Nope. Someone would have to dismantle every one of the million sensors we have." "Then what do you think happened?" "At the very least?" Kenta turned back to them, shifting his body so that it was facing the one he was talking to. "I think what you've got here is a sabotaged video." He explained, motioning to the screen for emphasis before twisting back and grasping the mouse. Clicking open what appeared to be a DOS window, he began to type once again, fingers moving at a rapid pace. "At least half of this can be explained by simply playing with the effects. However, even this video might be nothing but an attempt at a false lead. There was no shootings reported at that area or heard by anyone within the vicinity." "So then all of this is false?" Rukia asked, shocked. "How could someone have altered this?" She frowned. "Unless it was the librarian girl herself." "W-what--" Now it was Megami's turn to speak. She whirled around, hands raised defensively and a look of shock on her own face. "No, no, it couldn't be her!" She insisted. "She's done nothing but--" "From this footage...." Kenta interrupted smoothly, turning around in his chair to face Megami. A more intense look came to his features, and he folded his hands and fingers together in a pondering manner. "It appears as if this librarian somehow had acquired access to surveillance footage overlooking the city to a certain extent. How exactly did she even acquire the materials necessary to put this together?" "She...." Megami had to pause for a moment. "Her mother had set up cameras over the region. Aoi didn't know what those reasons were, but--" However, the sudden flash within Kenta's eyes made her realize what conclusion he was coming to, and she shook her head quickly. "No, you can not be saying--" "The librarian's mother...." Kenta summarized, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair. "....was most likely a cult member before she died. After all, no one in their right mind would go to such a massive facility and set cameras in such convenient areas on their own. Neither the police or the military backed this technological setup, we are the only ones with access to such highly advanced technology. Her mother was most likely involved with their occultist ways." "Kenta, isn't that jumping the gun just a bit?" Rukia jumped in now. "A cult member because her mother had a hobby over overlooking the region?" "Could be...." Kenta acknowledged. "But consider the fact of how she went about it. Multiple security cameras placed in parts of the society, without us managing to spot her doing so, without the consent of the law and on unauthorized areas. That itself is an illegal action. Furthermore, where could she have gotten all of that equipment from? Only social elites could possess such means, and such elites would have been known by the government. The only way a normal citizen could acquire technology on such a scale is through an outside company." "I can see that, but the girl's mother is dead." Rukia reminded. "Is there a point in assuming whether or not she was a cult member?" "Following the chip." Kenta said, gesturing with an emphasizing finger. "Her mother would've taught her what she needed to know about the equipment and how to use it. The librarian might be following straight down the path that her mother walked. Technology like what Aoi possesses require constant supervision, something that one person can't do alone. So if everything's still online and operational, that means the same group that was helping her mother is helping her, as well." "Or you could be completely wrong." Rukia added. "I'm not saying you are, but without proof, your assumptions can't be acted on." Rukia turned to Megami. "Megami, I'm curious, how close are you to this girl?" Whatever that was left of Kenta's good mood at that moment had been crushed with the first sentence Rukia had allowed to escape to his lips. He narrowed eyes, a slightly indignant stare aimed at the back of Rukia's head as she looked over at Megami. The woman had just allowed him to explain his theories, act as if he truly believed them, and then proceeded to crush him with a few simple, insulting words. A light scoff escaped his lips, and he twisted to face away from them to continue typing on the computer for a moment more. ".....she's a friend...." Megami said slowly, placing a hand to her head with a distressed look on her face. "A young girl, but she's a kind soul nonetheless. I....I really don't believe she would have the heart to be involved with something so dangerous as Red Sun, let alone be allied with them...." "Do you think she'd answer some questions if you asked?" Rukia suggested. "If you can get answers from her, perhaps it will tell us whether or not Kenta is right." "Well, I suppose I can try...." The tone in Megami's voice lightened a little at the suggestion. A weak smile came across her face, and she lowered her hand. "She's willing to talk to me with just about anything that comes to mind." "That's good." Rukia said, happy to hear there was an easy solution to all this. "In that case, I'd make the suggestion of going now so we can clear this up as quickly as possible." "You ladies have fun with that.... but I'm going to stay here." Kenta murmured, still fixated onto the computer screen. "I'm going to continue to inspect this disk a bit more, maybe dig up a bit more information that we could put to good use." "I'm going to take my leave." Rukia said, getting up. "I have something I need to get to." She turned to Megami. "Good luck getting the information you need." "Yeah...." Megami gave her a brief nod, taking in a deep breath and letting out a sigh. "I'm going to need all the luck I can get...." Information in more ways than one Aoi was sitting at her table. The library was closed today, but that was because she was expecting Megami today. The machine bug had returned and with quality samples of the painting. All that was left was for them to analyze it. Knock! Knock! Knock! "Hello?" The sound of Megami's voice could be heard on the other side of the glass door, as well as the knocking that preceded it. Aoi jumped up, running to the door. Upon seeing it was Megami, she threw it open enthusiastically. "Hi Megami." She said cheerfully. "Nice to see you're here. The bug is back." "Great!" Megami said in anticipation, allowing herself to step in. Reaching out with her hand, she shut the door behind her softly and took a few steps away from it. She folded her hands in front of her and at level with her thighs. "What did it tell you?" "Well, after it returned, I was able to analyze the sample of the "painting" on the Road 701." She went to her desk to get several slips of paper. "As well as analyzing the samples, it took distance scans of the entire painting as well." She handed the papers to Megami. "This is what the results showed." Grasping the papers, Megami held them up to her face and studied them intensely. "Blood confirmed to be from several murder victims...." She read, paraphrasing what would've been otherwise a long report. "After analysis, studies show that only few victims are recognized on records. However, these same individuals appear not to be victims, but alive and active. Status on their whereabouts are unknown. Only two were able to have photographic information..." She shifted through the first page, and her eyes widened in shock at what she saw. "This....this was the very same woman who tripped me in the library yesterday!" She recognized the photo right away: an orange-haired woman with her hair tied up in a ponytail and a rather apathetic look on her face. Shifting through the last page, she found a boy with yellow eyes, pale skin, purple leopard marks around his eyes, and long, raven black hair. "But why would she be here? And who is this....?" "Does the information help you any?" Aoi asked. She sounded as if she was nervous that it wouldn't. She had skirted over the question. Megami cocked an eyebrow in confusion, looking down from the papers and lowering them in order to study her for a silent moment. Then, she said finally, "...yes, it's good enough. Listen...." She held the papers to her side, a rather concerned expression over her face. "There's something I need to talk to you about that's really important." "Oh?" Aoi looked up at Megami from behind her large glasses. Megami had questions? She could probably answer no matter what it was. "What is it?" "I had gotten word from police officials...." Megami stated slowly, her gaze solemn. "....and they had mentioned within the investigation taking place a suggestion. They claimed that a massive amount of security cameras would need more than one person to operate and monitor, as well as a high social position for access to such technology. I don't believe them for one bit, but...." She took in a deep breath. "They think that you, as well as your mother, might be spies working under Red Sun activity." "W-wait, what!?" Aoi was taken aback by this. "They're assuming all of this because my mother had a weird hobby?" She frowned, fixing her glasses as they were slipping down the bridge of her nose. "Megami, I can say that they are at least wrong about me. I'm not involved in the affairs of anyone, except you of course. About my mother though, anything is possible. I never had any idea what she did for a living, since this library was mine for quite some time." "Might I ask about the cameras?" Megami questioned curiously. "I don't know the purpose for which she installed them." Aoi admitted. "All the machinery down there was installed by my mother, I haven't added anything myself. I do use them however, every week or so I view the footage taken by the cameras. Since I don't really leave much, it helps me know what's going on." So it was confirmed. Aoi was innocent of any doings with Red Sun, as she said. However, her mother's fate was left ambiguous. Megami narrowed her eyes slightly and turned her gaze away for a moment, arms folded across her chest. The papers were clutched tightly in one of her hands. It was at least good to hear Aoi was not one of them.... but because she didn't know the information, officials would be tempted to add to fill in the blanks using what information they had. There was always the possibility that information could be wrong.... "Any other questions?" Aoi asked, curious. "If not, you have the whole library to yourself if you need to look up anything." "I understand." Megami nodded in appreciation, breaking out of her temporary trance. "Thanks again, Aoi." "Of course." Aoi replied, nodding. "By the way, this is just a suggestion, but doesn't this region's government keep records of people? Wouldn't they be able to check my mother's files if they were suspicious? Maybe it could even tell them how she got the cameras and what she used them for." "Most likely...." "Well if you suggest that to them, be sure to tell me what they found it." Aoi asked. "It would be nice to finally know why she set all this stuff up." Giving a curt nod and a final smile, Megami turned around and walked back out, pushing open the glass doors and walking to the outside. The doors shut behind her gently. Aoi looked rather sad to see her go, and went to sit back at her desk. She put her hands behind her head, leaning back in her chair to kick her feet up. "The law enforcement must be truly stupid..." She muttered. It was as if kharma had been offended by the remark itself. WHAM! "Freeze! Hands in the air, NOW!" A boot kicked open the doors, shattering the glass completely. The figures of five police officers immediately rushed in, their cloaks that they wore billowing behind them. Immediately, they stopped in front of Aoi, their Kidō pistols raised and the barrels pointed within her face. 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